I THE PLOTLANDS, UK 1930s Plot sale for self-build / allotments
J WALTER SEGAL METHOD, UK Construction system
The falling value of agricultural land led a number of farmers in essex to sell ‘plotlands’. Prior to introduction of planning regulations in 1945, these offered working and middle class families space to build houses and grow food.
Timber construction system designed by architect Walter Segal in the 1960’s and 70’s. It used standard construction materials, minimal need for ‘wet trades’, offered a low-skill threshold for non-professional builders, and could accommodate sloping sites with difficult ground conditions.
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QUARTIER VAUBAN, Freiburg Germany
QUINTA MONROY, Iquique Chile
Public-sector land promotion, group self-procure
Housing designed for growth
Led and supported by the local authority, large plots were sold to and co-developed by groups (‘baugruppen’) according to strict performance guidelines. Though often lauded as an example of sociable and ecological urban design, the self-provision engine which drove much of the development is often overlooked.
‘Half and half’ housing concept designed by Elemental Architects, Chile, whereby the basic house infrastructure is planned and built by a public organisation, leaving half of each plot available for gradual self-provision by the user.
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